I could probably write a post a week, each one featuring a new reason why you should exercise, and never run out of things to write about. Seriously. But although the reasons to work out are innumerable, I have never heard an argument more convincing than the strong scientific support that shows that getting regular, vigorous exercise will both lengthen your life and improve your life's quality.

What's crazy to me (and unbelievable to most) is that exercise has been regularly proven to have a more significant impact on your mental acuity than doing logical puzzles, crosswords, or other "brain exercises." It turns out that nothing replaces regular exercise - going on a challenging hike will do a lot more for you than playing a game of Scrabble or reading a book.

Being reminded of exercise's power to improve my life is one of those things that makes me sit up and take notice. I can only derive so much motivation from the promises to feel healthy today, have flatter abs, or have improved self-esteem. In many ways, those results seem very intangible to me (okay, maybe not the abs) and have never served as long-term motivations for me to get up and get moving. But days added to my life? Knowing that I am keeping my body and mind from breaking down? For whatever reason, that is a currency that means something to me. I would much rather live to be 90 than live to be 80. And I'm determined to be the kind of person who hikes and swims until the very end.

Want to know the best part about this? It's never too late to start. Seriously, committing to making a change today will improve your quality of life. It doesn't matter if you're 15 or 65. So put down your phone, get away from your TV, and take a walk around your neighborhood. Or swim a few laps in your pool. Or join an exercise class. Just do something that makes you break a sweat. Oh, and try to find something you like. That's always the #1 thing that will help you stick with it :)

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Completely random topic change: I don't know about you, but I'm a pretty big Tracy Chapman fan. Hours upon hours of listening to her album Telling Stories on a road trip one summer pretty much cemented me as a member of her fanbase. So when I heard a cover of her song Fast Car played when I was at yoga this past weekend, I was immediately intrigued. In fact, right after I left yoga that day I came home and started googling "Fast Car cover." It took me a little while to find, but I finally identified it: it's a duet sung by Boyce Avenue and Kina Grannis. (No idea who they are? Yeah, me either.) ANYWAY, this is the really long way of saying that you should totally listen to this song! Find it here.

Also - how much does Kina Grannis sound like Taylor Swift? It's INSANE! I didn't believe it wasn't Taylor Swift until I was presented with indisputable video evidence.